What obligations do the affluent have towards those who live in extreme poverty? This week we look at one distinct argument based on consequentialist ethics and also begin the discussion of the effectiveness of aid programs. This week also includes a conversation with Raymond Offenheiser. Furthermore, we discuss poverty as human rights violations. You will also find a conversation with Dean Karlan about effective solutions to poverty problems in this week.

How do you get the most value for your charitable dollars? How can you compare different causes to each other, and how do you compare different charities to each other? One of the guests this week is Elie Hassenfeld from GiveWell, an organization that tries to find the answers to these questions. This week you will also meet three individuals who in different ways embody the ideal of effective altruism: Zell Kravinsky, Julia Wise and Alexander Berger.

This week Will MacAskill and Matt Wage discuss effective altruism and career choice.

In this week you will have the opportunity to play the Giving Game.

In this last week, we circle back to some foundational questions in ethics. What is the relationship between rationality, self-interest, and ethics? How demanding is morality, and why exactly should be trying to live an ethical life? In this week you will also find the final essay assignment. Now that you have reached the end of the course, we would also very much appreciate your feedback. You may either submit a review on Class Central by going to https://www.classcentral.com/course/effectivealtruism-3446 — which will also help other learners discover the course — or send us an email to learnonline@princeton.edu. Thank you!